The New Old Fence: Refurbishing a Salvaged Fence

After about six months and many stressful days when no work could be done my 200 foot long privacy fence is done! What a relief. We mainly put in the privacy fence to keep the dogs inside the yard but do you know the evil dog known as Lady has still tried to jump this 5-6 foot tall fence? When that didn't work she has tried to go under it. Sigh. Well, it's done and what a big relief as garden season is in full swing and I've been pretty busy with plants lately.



I am still fixing the going under part with the dogs by placing wire in all gaps but for the most part this fence will keep the dogs in and give me a good sense of enclosure; something I love in a garden. 

The area around the fence is a bit of an enclosed wooded area and I just love the fence as a wall alongside this part of our property. Here you can see toward the frontyard (east) and a section of the fence still in progress. It has been completed since this photo was snapped.




We initially were not going to put up a fence on this southern side of our yard due to the fact all the landscaping took care of privacy and also due to the fact I did not wish to lose the sun. But when I came across a deal too good to be true I jumped on it. That plus the fact Lady would disappear rather frequently. I found an ad on Craig's List that said 26 panels of privacy fence for $100. The only problem was the panels had been sitting out in the elements for at least a year and who knows how old the fence was initially. The fence had deteriorated a bit which meant I had my work cut out for me. The above view of the fence is looking west toward the pond and the side of our garage. I'll be talking about the large arborvitae hedge you see on the left in this Friday's post.


After pressure washing every single fence panel and staining all the panels with a 'Desert Sand' solid color fence stain from BEHR paints, I had a fairly workable fence. I dug the 35 holes, mixed the 40 sixty pound bags of concrete, set and plumbed all poles, and attached all panels. What a job. Okay, I have to admit it, Mr. Fix-it dug four holes and set four posts-thanks baby! The rest was up to me and since I am home most of the time it made sense. My issue was the weather. It was impossible to pressure wash and stain panels in the cold of the winter. Brrrr! But I slowly plodded on and got all of the panels up-a mere 32 feet short of the total distance. That was okay because I prepared to be a bit short and was happy the initial $100 got me as far as it did. I built the last five panels from scratch with a little help from Mr. Fix-it (he is home all the time now due to being on final vacation from the Army). And the fence is done!



The total cost for this nearly 200 foot long fence was about $635: 20% of what it would've costed new and professionally installed. The breakdown of costs is as follows: $100 for 26 fence panels, $30 for some 2x4s to replace damaged ones and to build the portion of the fence I had to build, $75 for the dog eared pickets I had to purchase to build my portion of the fence, $25 for nails, $125 for the 4x4 posts (I only bought about 24 posts because my neighbor gave me 9 and I had a few here in the gardens already) and about $280 for the solid color stain. It sounds strange I spent so much on the stain but I tell you the stain makes a big difference on any outdoor project you do. Not only does the solid color stain make all wood look good, but it also protects the wood and increases the life span of the fence. If you ever get the chance to rehab and salvage an old privacy fence give it a try but be sure you know what you are getting yourself into....


in the garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Old Fences Have Character

From In the Garden

From In the Garden

Old fences have the greatest character don't you think? All the moss, lichen, and graduations in the coloring of old fences make them ever so charming. But! The same moss, lichens, and wood variations make the fence a not so stable or functional fence because the moss, lichens, and wood variations are signs of decay and rot; which means the fence is in trouble. We all know wood fences don't last forever but with care they should last a fairly long time. That being said, if you acquire a wood fence that has damage how do you fix it? How can you make it functional and give it a few more years of good life? This was the very question Mr. Fix-it and I found ourselves asking when we recently acquired 24 panels of stockade privacy fence that had seen better days. The price was right ($100 for all) and even though we could see there was some dry rot on the panels, we felt like the fence was salvageable so we bought it. Now the real fun begins-refurbishing all 24 panels.


This fencing was taken down by the previous owners who got it from another Craig's Lister. When they took the fence down they simply ripped the panels off from the poles and did not bother removing nails or anything. The first order of business was to do something with the awful long and jagged nails. I could have pulled them all out but that would have meant some boards would be broken and days upon days of work. I decided to simply cut the ends off containing the nails. In doing so I sacrificed about 8-10" of length per panel. I would have preferred keeping that length since the area I'm putting this fence is about 200 feet long but the ends of the 2x4s were rotten anyhow so it was simpler just to remove them, nails and all.

Once the nails were removed I stood up the panels (as best I could) and then pondered on how to get the lichen and moss and discoloration off from the wood. At first I thought a good scrubbing and some wood or deck cleaner would work, but no it did not. The next thing I tried was our nearly fifteen year old never been used by me pressure washer. Wow! Pressure washers work pretty well when they are not leaking and shorting out circuits! The pressure washer was really the only way to restore the wood panels and get rid of all the character of the wood. Do you see the difference between the two panels above? It is quite a difference and while I won't go so far as to say the panels now look new, they do look pretty good. I used a wood cleaner that is biodegradable prior to pressure washing but honestly, I saw no difference when I used the cleaner versus when I didn't. The pressure washer did the trick. It has taken me about 30-40 minutes per panel to pressure wash these panels. As of this date not all are done but I am slowly working on it.




After pressure washing a few panels I would stand the panels up so they could dry a good three or four days. The dried wood really soaked up the water from the pressure washing. I knew at this point that if I did not seal the wood I'd soon have the same situation; lots of 'character' on my hands when the fence panels began deteriorating again. Therefore, I decided to use a solid color wood fence stain to seal the wood. I choose the solid color stain made by Behr because I've used it before and just love it! The solid color stain goes on just like paint but soaks into the wood and has a 15 year warranty on vertical surfaces such as a fence. The stain really lasts and is most easy to apply. The solid color hides any remaining blemishes on these fence panels so it is best for my use, but Home Depot also sells a semi-transparent stain for wood fences. The color I chose; which if you are a soldier who has been to Iraq it is a funny color and one you would not think I'd choose; is "Desert Sands". The joke is on me. For those who do not know it I went to Iraq a few years ago and I loathe the color of the desert when it is all you see. It is dirty and dusty and I did not enjoy that part of Iraq. The color name reminds me of my experience but I'm not holding it against it because the color is perfect here in my garden. You can see the desert sand in the last photo above. This is what color the whole fence will be when complete. I have finished pressure washing about two thirds of the panels, painted about one third and still have a lot to go before I can even begin installing the fence but I'm well on my way to creating some new character on this old fence by reusing it....


in the garden....

Have you ever reused privacy fence panels, and if so, what tricks do you have for making them work for you? 


 
Words and Pictures Property of In the Garden Blog Team, 
 
In the Garden

Getting Growing

Posted by Dawn

It's been a busy month in the garden, Northern New England has warmed up nicely, it's not too muddy not too wet.

I...am enjoying my new camera! Obviously.

Anyway, last I posted we were breaking new ground in the veggie bed, that being done it is time for the fencing. My garden is surrounded on 3 sides by dense forest and I'm taking no chances with the critters, nothing any more disparaging than finding all your hard work destroyed in one night by a hungry animal.

We did have a lot to debate though, my local farm/tractor supply shop sold three kinds of fencing, rabbit proof with a pricey cost, four foot high fence with 3 inch squares or a combo of both, the rabbit proof (1 1/2 squares) at the bottom of the 3 incher on top. Problem, the combo is only 3 feet in height, essentially not deer proof. So with the help of a few thinned out maple trees, some snow fencing and roof shingles, we went to work creating a barrier while providing a heavy wall that small critters would have to spend a great deal of time digging under. I love the look of it.

After the installing of the raised bed over the large rock,

and a rustic "it's not very pretty" cucumber trellis,

we made some tee-pees for the vining veggies, we used the tops of the maple trees and birch that were bent over from this winter storms. They wouldn't recover or survive.

The tomatoes are in the background, happy to have those planted, although I had to cover them once to protect from the frost.

Here is my daughter putting down newspaper between the bean rows, I'm a big believer of newspaper and use it whenever I can. I'm not a good one for weeding all summer. See the tires behind her? Those are for potato plantings, we have never done this kind of growing. Research tells me you can get 60lbs of potatoes per tire. Has anyone done this?

Less explaining daughter dear, and more action!

And here she is again wetting everything down this weekend, I'm so glad she enjoys gardening.Last Friday rolled in the last of the plantings for a northern veggie bed, some things can be staggered though, we are planting beans every two weeks. That sounds better to me in the long run, picking them at once is a lot of bean eating!

My husband constructed this cute little gate, I teased him about not having the skill to age it for me! Too funny! Anyhow we saw Lola's pot plantings with rebar and decided to see if we could do it with some of the buckets. It turned out pretty good, we had a few 6 foot fence posts and used them instead of the rebar. These buckets have herbs planted within them, catnip being on top. Ha!

Another long shot.

Time for the potatoes to be planted, I read NOT to use soil with manure in it as it causes scabbing on the potatoes. Well, that did away with any garden soil we have available....we could buy it at a huge price, (tire planting takes a lot of dirt!) or we could make it.

We made it, we shredded piles of composted leaves. We opted to do this because the piles had many roots growing within it. That was fun, peat moss flying everywhere.

We screened it....it really went quickly.

My daughter could not keep her hands out of it. It felt like water. I never thought I'd be making 'dirt', it worked well though, "I want more!"On with planting of the onions,

But wait, what's that....peas getting growing! Here,And there,it was a good feeling after 2 months of constant planning and work. Basket of Gold, or Mountain Alyssum.

In The Garden....

New Fences

This is the third post on fences, but I am sure it will not be my last. I really like fences. I was not sure about installing a large privacy fence though until I saw Melanies fence over at Old Country Gardens (http://melaniesoldcountrygarden.blogspot.com/

Her fence did not seem overpowering and really seemed to fit in well. I have a 260 long mixed border and gardens along the northern side of my property. I did not want a privacy fence on the southern side because it would block all of the sun. This fence, being on the northern side worked out well for my plants and my garden. It not only provides me privacy but also makes an awesome backdrop for the borders and protects the plants from the north wind. I love it.

The first picture shows John and one of his helpers working in the snow to drill out the holes. They came right after we had a bit of wet, soggy snow. The holes promptly filled up with water and once drilled, they had to be left for a week or so in order to drain.

The next time the three guys came they quickly installed the 4x4x8 pressure treated support posts. They then let those 16 posts sit for a few days for the concrete to set up.

When next they came I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently they worked. The 2x4x16 were quickly laid out and nail gunned into the support posts. The tops of the support poles were trimmed, and the pickets were all installed. All 500 plus of them.

The final picture shows the finished fence from the front yard view. The only thing I am not totally happy about is the fact the pickets are shrinking. All pressure treated shrinks and people need to be aware of this. I knew they would shrink once installed and was prepared for a gap between the boards, but I am still not too happy with it. Though, to look on the bright side, when that strong northern wind blows it will have some room to blow through the fence and hopefully will not blow the fence down!

in the garden....

New Fences

Here is another part of the fence post, "Good fences make good neighbors." I had originally intended to showcase a privacy fence I really like at another house. But the picture thing just did not work out in time for the first post. I now have the picture, and thought I would put in our new 'old' split rail fence, along with our new privacy fence on the north side of our property as well. Sometimes it is better to break up the posts, as going short is not so difficult for me-truly!

The first picture shows our moved split rail fence. It was initially along the north side of our property, out front. Mr. Fix-it removed it, and I reinstalled it along the state highway which fronts our property on the eastern side. Installing fences in a straight and logical manner is not an easy feat, as I found out. This fence will soon be covered by the Eleangnus pungens, aka silverberry. Gardeners have a tendency to move things around quite a bit, though this fence was in its original place for about six years. Six years can be a long time in a the gardening world.

The next picture is of a favorite privacy fence I installed. Hand staining every single piece of this fence prior to building it was the truly hard part! But, staining a fence before installing it adds to the life of the fence. In this case I chose a sea foam green oil based stain because I knew it would weather well. I usually like hunter green in the landscape, but the sea foam seemed a better choice for this particular fence. The neighbors absolutely love it and there is not another fence in the neighborhood as nice.

I will prepare a post on our newly installed fence here in Woodlawn. Though we love our neighbors on this side of the yard, privacy is something we lacked and desired, hence the new privacy fence. Additionally, all 265 feet of this northern border of our property is lined with a very long and wide mixed border, the privacy fence is the perfect foil for the plants. More on it another time.

in the garden....

Good Fences Make Good Neigbors

The old saying goes, "Good fences make good neighbors." I wish. I love fences but not everyone does. I really and truly can't understand why. I know Skeeter would love a fence between her neighbors with the unsightly view and her, mothers of small children probably love fences to keep their children safe, and pet people probably like fences to keep their beloved pets safe from wandering off or from other wandering animals. Anonymous would like a fence, but her husband says no. What is it about a fence that some people don't like?

Perhaps people who are from the country and who are not used to fences are turned off by other people who like fences to identify their boundaries. Fences are without question, boundaries. One should not cross a fence unless there is a welcoming gate somewhere along that fence. The fence is there for more than beauty or safety or to contain something, fences are there as a boundary. A fence says, "This is my piece of dirt and I want to ensure I have control over all of my dirt."

Perhaps people used to a lot of land don't understand there are boundaries to even their big piece of land. I don't know and maybe people who are from the country do indeed like fences, everyone is different.

No one else but Mr. Fix-it and I pay the mortgage, therefore, no one else should have use of my land without my permission, for anything whatsoever. Fences around a property usually contain a house. The people who live in that house want to feel safe. A fence provides an extra measure of safety by being just one more obstacle unwanted guests must overcome in order to reach our inner sanctuary, the house.

Now that we understand why fences are important by establishing a boundary and creating an obstacle to unwanted guests, fences CAN at times seem unneighborly. I am sure no one intends to seem unneighborly toward others, and a fence should not be construed as being unneighborly. Quite the opposite. It means the person who has the fence cares about both his or her neighbors and about his or her home. Fences are investments that are not to be taken lightly. Planning a fence involves many considerations.

Ensure you know where the property lines are located, inform your neighbors of your intentions prior to installing the fence, ask for their input, be considerate. When all is said and done and a new fence is installed, your neighbors still might not be happy. Maybe your budget only allows a chain link fence and your neighbor considers these 'hurricane' fences the ugliest things on earth. Sometimes chainlink fences are the best option due to costs. Other fences are usually QUITE a bit more expensive.

What can the neighbor do about a fence he or she doesn't like? Simple, either install his or her own fence in front of the fence, or plant trees and hedges and flowers! I have seen a place in town near Lafayette Road where two adjacent property owners have privacy fences. It almost looks as though one tried to outdo the other as one is taller. I found the idea amusing. I vote for planting in front of other fences. Planting is so much cheaper, easier and friendlier, but fences in front of fences can work too in the right situation, it just really depends on the people.

I have installed a chain link fence around my entire backyard, with the exception of the back border line, due to the adjacent farmer already having a fence for his cows. That saved a lot of money and I was ever so happy. I immediately set about planting trees, shrubs, vines and flowers of all kinds in order to beautify my fence line, provide privacy, and to establish the framework for my little piece of dirt, according to MY vision. Not some vision a neighbor has in mind. You almost can't see six hundred feet of chain link fence from my side of the fence. I am amazed at how quickly you can camouflage fences and very happy with both my fences, and the plantings I have placed around them.

I may have gone a little overboard with fences inside of my boundary fence. You see, with having three dogs which really love to eat trees and shrubs, I felt I had to provide boundaries for them as well. The second picture shows the most common type of fencing to keep the dogs and gardens separate in my garden. It is hard to see, but it is a two foot metal fence on standard fence poles. I have tried to create creative fences which are utilitarian but beautiful. It is a neverending battle and while I do not like flower beds fenced off from me, I feel it is for the good of my family. Fences around the gardens help me to keep my sanity when dealing with some rambunctious dogs who would need constant watching without the fences. What a relief fences provide me.

Out here in Woodlawn, there are varying opinions on fences. I, without a doubt like fences. Some of my neighbors do, and some don't. I find the ones who are from out of state or who are used to living in cities, seem to like fences so much more than locals. My newest neighbor moved in and without a doubt said he did not want a fence. He has one acre and couldn't see the point of fencing it off. I think he likes to 'borrow' the adjoining property's views and it makes him feel like he has more space. Borrowing a neighbor's view is certainly acceptable, borrowing the use of his or her land is not.

Well, now that he has four dogs, guess what? He sure would like a fence. Not just any fence, a privacy fence. Fences do make good neighbors and he is happy I have a fence. It is a win-win situation for us both. Should he get a privacy fence, I would be ecstatic. I will be 100% supportive. Instead of a privacy fence he has opted for an underground electric fence which will keep his four dogs controlled and confined, while not blocking the view of the neighboring properties, including mine. An underground electric fence is a great fence-as it is a fence without being a fence! It is not seen by people, but the dogs can still be seen, though controlled.

Mr. Fix-it and I have decided to install a privacy fence along the border with these neighbors. I sure do appreciate my new neighbors consideration for both their dogs and the adjacent neighbors by not allowing their dogs to run free, but it is time for a big fence and after touring other garden bloggers gardens, I am very happy with the look and can't wait to have mine installed. We may even put a privacy fence all around the garden with the exception of in back where we have such a nice view of my neighbor's pond. I mean afterall, "Good fences do make good neighbors (and great private gardens with a nice backdrop!)."

in the garden....grateful for fences and boundaries and for considerate neighbors.